Common core curriculum

School District Highlight: Alhambra

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 17 September 2015 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

The city of Alhambra, about eight miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, started out as a small residential town when it was first established in 1903. Today it has grown into a bustling community where businesses and residents amicably co-exist.

While Alhambra’s roots were largely Spanish, the 2014 U.S. Census figures show its population is about 53 percent Asian, 34 percent Hispanic or Latino, 10 percent white, 1.5 percent Black or African American, and a sprinkling of other ethnic groups.

The Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD) encompasses 13 elementary, three comprehensive secondary, and two alternative high schools servicing Alhambra, and adjacent Rosemead, Monterey Park and San Gabriel. It is a middle-size district with close to 18,000 students under the leadership of the superintendent, Dr. Laura Tellez-Gagliano.

An award-winning district, AUSD has earned numerous accolades as California Distinguished and Blue Ribbon Schools – in 1993; 2002 through 2008; in 2010 and 2014. From 2002 through 2013, several of the district’s schools received the Title I Academic Achievement Award (AAA). 

This year, U.S. News & World Report-America’s Best High Schools awarded all three AUSD high schools a Silver Medal. Newsweek’s America’s Top High Schools named San Gabriel High School #9, Mark Keppel #107 and Alhambra High School #165, in Beating the Odds.

AUSD has received five Golden Bell Awards from the California Board Association in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2013. Its three high schools have also garnered an impressive array of achievements – they placed in the LA County Academic Decathlon annually beginning in 2008 through 2015. Alhambra High and Mark Keppel High Schools reached state level in 2009 and 2010; Mark Keppel got to state finals in 2013 and, in 2015, with Alhambra High as well. 

Programs in the school district address the needs of its students. According to Dr. Gary Gonzales, Assistant Superintendent, the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), a critical component of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), designates Alhambra as having 72 percent unduplicated count in English learners, socio-economically disadvantaged, and foster youth. Because of this, the district is able to get a supplemental and concentration grant which enables administrators to develop programs, hire teachers and teacher assistants as well as non-certified certificated personnel in their various schools, to provide extra education.  Eligible students can take summer classes or extended school days. 

According to Brad Walsh, Director for Secondary Learning, AUSD offers four California Partnership Academies – International Business, Business and Technology, Medical Careers, and Green Construction. Students who take classes in any of these academies get real life experience as they practice what they learn in the classroom made possible through partnerships with the business community. Graduates not only receive a high school diploma, they leave school with higher employability skills.

Career and Technical Education courses provide not only classroom learning but practical skills for students who choose these paths – architecture/computer-aided drafting; automotive technology; business; computer applications; culinary arts; drafting; emergency medical responder; emergency medical technician; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC); health careers and medical terminology; restaurant; retail; and wood technology.   

AUSD is currently developing its Dual Immersion Initiative which it will implement in a pilot program in two elementary schools during the 2015-2016 school year. Mandarin and Spanish will be offered as early as kindergarten, preparing students for a global society and economy.

An open enrollment procedure for  Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses started during the 2007-2008 school year. According to Walsh, AUSD has a total of 122 AP classes offered at their three comprehensive secondary schools – Alhambra, Mark Keppel and San Gabriel High Schools.  An AP course in Human Geography is available as early as 9th grade.

A Special Education Collaboration Model from  8th grade through high school supports students with learning disabilities. Teachers and credentialed facilitators help these individuals keep up with class work and assist students in the classroom. Online education tools, like APEX and ACELLUS, are especially helpful for all students.

Partnerships with community colleges, including Cerritos, Citrus, Rio Hondo, Mount San Antonio and PCC give AUSD high school students an edge in college. Through classes offered on their high school campus, they earn credits towards an Associate or Bachelors degree.

All AUSD teachers have been involved in intensive professional development for three years to get their students up-to-speed on the Common Core curriculum. The recently-released results of the new standardized assessment put in place by state superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, indicated that all their hard work have paid off. The publicized numbers were met with jubilation at the Alhambra Unified School District as their assessment scores showed that they outpaced county and state levels.

Fifty-eight percent met or exceeded county and state levels in ELA (English Language arts).

Among Latinos, 43 percent met and exceeded county and state levels; 29 percent English learners exceeded county and state levels; and 53 percent socio-economically disadvantaged (SED) met or exceeded county and state levels.   

In the Math exams, 50 percent of AUSD students met or exceeded county and state levels. Among Latinos, 26 percent met or exceeded county and state levels; 35 percent English learners met or exceeded county and state levels; and 45 percent SED met or exceeded county and state levels. 

According to Gonzales, “This new standardized assessment is completely different from the tests given in the past. It wouldn’t be fair to compare the results with past scores; it’s not a pen and paper test, it’s all online. It’s more than a multiple choice exam where students can answer with some guesswork; it’s analytical.  It makes students go beyond the procedural; they utilize the conceptual part of learning. It forces them to be critical thinkers – a great way to prepare for college and careers.”

“College and career preparation at AUSD begins even at the elementary school level,” says Judy Huffaker, Nutrition & Career Technical Education Specialist at Alhambra High School.   According to Ms. Huffaker, AUSD college counselors invite 8th grade students to come to the high school they will be attending for a day-long event that introduces them to College and Career Readiness. They start 9th grade with the mindset that they will be going to college. High school freshmen get acquainted with an online process called Career Cruising.

On October 15 this year, approximately 3,000 senior students and parents will be on the San Gabriel High School campus for a College Fair. From 6:00 to 8:00 in the evening, they will meet with about 70 college representatives and attend workshops on planning for college, financial literacy, difference between the ACT and SAT exams.  

AUSD’s Career Center conducts college tours at local universities (UC, Cal State and other private institutions). Counselors hold workshops on resume writing, preparing the personal statement, and available scholarships; they provide assessment orientation and counseling.

Each school year, the approximately 1,800 AUSD seniors attend Cash for College events. With  68 percent socio-economically disadvantaged students in the district, all seniors complete the FAFSA, which may provide financial aid to qualified students.

The Alhambra school district has an impressive academic record.  In 2015, it produced nine National Merit semi-finalists; annually, 43 percent of seniors meet the A-G requirements.   Graduates from the three high schools  go on to some of the most prestigious universities in the country, including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, USC, Cal Berkeley, and Stanford.  Additionally, students attend many local colleges and universities like Cal Poly Pomona, Occidental, Azusa Pacific, Cal State Los Angeles, and Whittier College.

So while the recent state-administered exams showed there is still a gap in academic skills between AUSD’s Asian and Latino students, that divide is narrowing. Administrators are working feverishly to put in place action plans and services to close that learning difference.    

As Gonzales points out, “Each and every student in the Alhambra School District believes he or she will go to college.” Initiatives and programs are in place to ensure students harness their potential to realize that dream. Indeed they have much to look forward to and celebrate! 

The Huntington Library Supports the Common Core Curriculum

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 9 April 2015 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

Henry Huntington may not have known it at the time but his bequest is not merely a showcase of important art and historical artifact, it is also an instrument in shaping America’s future.

Through the Huntington Library‘s Teacher and School Programs, educators receive training on how to incorporate the Library’s vast collection of books, art and gardens in the implementation of the Core Curriculum. Huntington’s educators collaborate with teachers in developing lesson plans, which are nationally available online. Teachers from K-12th grade choose from 12 programs to provide their students appreciation, engagement and understanding of various subjects.   

Programs in Art include:  European Voyages where students in grades 4 through 8 explore 18th century British and French art in the Huntington mansion. In Discovering Art, kindergarteners through 2nd graders are introduced to basic concepts as line, shape, color, and texture. American Adventures dialogue tours introduce critical thinking and speaking skills to 1st through 12th graders using artwork from 1700 – 1980, while theme based tours encourage students to look, think, and discuss their ideas and perceptions.

Some of the Garden Programs are: Soil, Seeds and Surprises, which acquaints students in kindergarten through 2nd grade with botany. Students from grades 4 through 12 experience the Japanese Garden as an art form and contrasts it with a traditional European-style garden. Poetry in the Chinese Garden engages 4th through 12th graders in verse as they compose two-line poems inspired by the beauty they behold.  

The Library Programs cover: Explorations in American History for grades 5, 8 and 11 is designed to complement the American History curriculum. In Paper, Pens & Prose, students in grades 4 to 9 learn how books were produced, how paper and inks were made, and what scribes used to write.    

The Chinese Garden at The Huntington | Photo by Brianna Chu

The Huntington Library encourages teachers to use its grounds and facilities to make the learning experience enjoyable for students. Mikki Heydorff, Volunteer and School Programs Manager, would like educators to know about school field trips at no charge every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from October through May. From 10:00 to 11:30 every morning on these three days, teachers can come in with their students to visit the Library and its gardens on docent-led  tours. To take advantage of this opportunity, teachers have to sign up on a first-come first-serve basis, starting August 1st, to reserve a date.

Educators, too, can take advantage of the many summer activities at the Huntington.  In its 11th year of implementation, Shakespeare at the Huntington is a three-week course for high school English and Drama teachers focusing on training through performance. Shakespearean educator Louis Fantasia and an international faculty train 6th to 12th grade teachers on development, scene analysis, acting and directing techniques. Getting your Green Thumb classes for teachers cover garden planning, gardening techniques and curriculum connections. Information on field trips, lessons plans, and interactive media are available on the Huntington’s website www.huntington.org under the Education page and teacher resources.

To ensure that it continues to support its various education efforts, the Huntington Library  embarked on a major expansion project. The $68 million renovation made possible through private donors will open this Saturday, April 4, as the Steven S. Koblik Education and Visitor Center.  It raised another $10 million to endow the new facilities’ operations. The project consists of 52,000 square feet of educational space and visitor amenities replacing existing construction built in1980 that no longer accommodated the needs of its visitors, scholars and staff. The Visitor Center features a 400-seat auditorium, a large café with indoor-outdoor seating and garden views, four multi-use classrooms, meeting and event areas, and an orientation gallery. 

This latest renovation followed the recent opening of the Huntington Store, a new specialty coffee shop, and a new full-service admissions and membership section.  

From its first opening in 1919, when Henry Huntington bequeathed his vast collection and botanical gardens to enrich visitors, it has grown into an internationally known research center for scholars, an important destination for tourists, and a tranquil retreat for locals. Every year 600,000 visitors come to the Huntington Library to experience its impressive collection of magnificent art, rare books, significant manuscripts and botanical gardens. Its education programs offer school visits, tours and hands-on activities to 20,000 students annually. More than 10,000 people participate in its public programs including classes, workshops, performances, and lectures.  

How monumentally proud Henry Huntington would have been if he were around to witness how his precious legacy is being utilized and preserved!